In Defense Of Navi, Legend Of Zelda’s Most Controversial Character

The Legend of Zelda franchise has had its fair share of controversial characters, with figures like Tingle and Fi drawing plenty of ire from certain segments of the fanbase over the years. However, there’s no character capable of setting off more discourse among players than Navi. Link’s fairy companion in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was established more for practical reasons than narrative ones.

Crucial to the game’s means of sharing tips and keeping up the Z-targeting, Navi was a major factor in the game’s design. However, her constant presence and frequently repetitive lines aggravated plenty of players and turned her into something of a punchline for players. For 27 years, Navi has been one of the most hated aspects of the Legend of Zelda franchise. However, she’s never deserved that hate and is actually a major aspect of what makes the game work on a functional and narrative level.

Ocarina Of Time’s Navi, Explained

In Ocarina of Time, Navi is the constant companion of Link. Tasked with helping the young boy by the Great Deku Tree before it dies after the conclusion of the game’s first boss battle, Navi ends up accompanying the hero for the rest of his journey. Navi serves a few roles in the game, both as a narrative device and as a gameplay mechanic. With Link a largely mute character (and his facial expressions somewhat limited by the graphics of the N64), Navi is able to provide some necessary dialogue and exposition for both the character and the player controlling him.

Her conversations with Link serve as a handy means of asking the game for specific advice or reminding the player of their current objective, ensuring the player stays on the intended path or gets help with a tricky puzzle. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto admitted during an interview with Famitsu that he wasn’t the biggest fan of Navi as a concept, but felt it was necessary to keep players from becoming lost if they returned to the game and couldn’t remember their current objective. That repeated advice could be annoying for players mid-game, however, which led to many players growing frustrated with her on a fundamental level.

Navi Is A Necessary Game Mechanic

The thing is, Miyamoto is right to say that Navi is a necessary game mechanic. In the transition from 2D to 3D, there are a lot of potential challenges that could have made the game frustrating to tackle on a lot of levels. Everything from combat and puzzles to exploration and narrative could have been messed up without her presence. As the developers shifted into the 3D space, managing an entirely new dimension of gameplay could have been next to impossible. Instead, Navi offered an easy catch-all for several aspects of gameplay that could have been otherwise frustrating. Navi provides players with reminders on where to go in the map and offers clues on what to do next in any given situation.

Her advice doesn’t just solve the puzzle for the player, but gives important context clues that allow the player to still feel clever for figuring them out. Most importantly, Navi is key to the game’s Z-targeting, which is crucial to the game’s combat mechanics and puzzle-solving. The function is explained in-universe by having Navi flying around the target and keeping Link focused. In practice, this makes sure the player can keep their focus on certain enemies, allowing combat to remain smooth regardless of the arena. As the game’s biggest advancement in terms of combat, Navi was a necessary game mechanic — and although later 3D Zelda games would eschew similar characters, she was an important way for the developers and players alike to adjust to Zelda’s transition to this new space.

Why Navi Is Actually A Really Good Character

More than that, Navi is actually one of the better-developed characters in Ocarina of Time. Link’s fairy companion begins the adventure as a reluctant ally, only finding Link on the direct orders of the Deku Tree and remaining with him because of the guardian spirit’s final request. As the game progresses, she provides a bit of snark in certain situations. It’s an important touch of levity in the otherwise serious game — and as a result, her moments of seriousness contribute to the tension. As the game progresses, Link and Navi grow closer, with her genuine concern for the character (and by extension the player) becoming one of the very few constants on Link’s adventure.

Navi is the closest thing the player has to a dedicated friend during their adventure, someone who makes sure the adventure doesn’t feel lonely. While players could become frustrated by her advice (which was typically activated by the player themselves, either on purpose or by accident), her subtle arc in the story builds to her final efforts to help the player beat Ganon. At the conclusion of the adventure, she also returns to the past with Link and flies away into the light, closing the game on a surprisingly bittersweet note that reflects the game’s overall tone. Players have been making jokes about Navi since Ocarina of Time launched, but she’s a crucial piece of what makes the game so effective from both a gameplay and a narrative standpoint.